Andria Buchanan | The Great Thing About Fairytales And A List Of My Top 5 Favorite Retellings
September 14, 2013
I’ve been thinking a lot about fairytales lately. My new series, the Chronicles of Nerissette,
is based on a group
of teenagers who get sucked through a book of fairytales in the library and end
up in a magical world
that’s on the brink of civil war. As I was writing these books I spent a lot of
time pouring over fairytales
and fairytale retellings, trying to figure out what it was that made them
resonate. What is it about
princesses locked in towers and brave princes on white horses that sticks with
us. Then I found a quote by
G.K. Chesterton and it seemed to sum it up for me: “Fairytales don't tell children that dragons exist; children already know that
dragons exist. Fairytales tell
children that dragons can be killed.” ― G.K. Chesterton The problem was—in my books, the dragons are the good guys. Not to give away too
big of a spoiler—it’s
pretty obvious really if you’ve gotten past about page 3—but the love interest
in my series is a dragon.
But I rolled the quote around in my head and I realized that old G.K. had it
half right. It’s not the dragons
we need fairytales for—it’s the evil that the dragons in old school fairytales
were meant to embody. And I
think that’s what fairytales and Harry Potter and all those stories that
resonate for us is that all of them
show us the same thing—that in the end the good things in life—love, friendship,
loyalty—they can defeat
the evil things. Once I figured the whole psychological thing out I realized that I didn’t love
fairytales any less because I’d
figured them out. I realized I loved them more. And because I love fairytales
and their retellings so much
I’ve put together a list of my top 5 favorite fairytale retellings and I hope
you love them as much as I do.
1.) The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor – this is the first book in a trilogy
that sees Alice in
Wonderland taking on a whole new, steampunk feel. A relatively late comer to
this series (I picked all three
books up off the bargain table at a Barnes and Noble) and spent an entire
weekend going “not now I’m
reading”. Now whenever my husband sees one of them on my nightstand he just
plans on ordering pizza
to feed him and the kids. 2.) Enchantment by Orson Scott Card—I’m not a fan of his politics but I don’t
think anyone can deny
that Orson Scott Card can write one heck of a story and in my honest opinion
this one leaves Enders Game
in the dust. A retelling of Sleeping Beauty that’s set in Post-Soviet Russia it
involves time travel, a talking
bear with one eye, Baba Yaga and a disappearing 747—all of it told from the poor
confused hero’s POV.
3.) Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine—Who doesn’t love a good Cinderella
story? And one with a
couple of inept fairy godmothers who keep screwing things up? The story would be
a keeper just from
that but throw in spunky Ella and her view on the world and that just makes it a
classic as far as I’m
concerned. 4.) Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory
Maguire—Before the musical
there was the book. Wicked embodies the spirit of “the winners write history”
better than any other book
I’ve ever read. This book tells things from the other side though and it
changed how I watched the Wizard
of Oz from that day forward. 5.) Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce—Little Red Riding Hood with an ax to
grind—quite literally. Scarlett
and Rosie are characters that captured my heart and sort of made me wish I could
have traded my brother
in for a sister back when we were young. Everlast
Allie Munroe has only ever wanted to belong, maybe even be well liked. But even
though she’s nice and
smart and has a couple of friends, she’s still pretty much the invisible girl at
school. So when the chance
to work with her friends and some of the popular kids on an English project
comes up, Allie jumps at the
chance to be noticed.
And her plan would have worked out just fine…if they hadn’t been sucked into a
magical realm through a
dusty old book of fairy tales in the middle of the library. Now, Allie and her classmates are stuck in Nerissette, a world where karma rules
and your social status is
determined by what you deserve. Which makes a misfit like Allie the Crown
Princess, and her arch-rival the
scullery maid. And the only way out is for Allie to rally and lead the people of
Nerissette against the evil
forces that threaten their very existence. One commenter will win a copy of EVERLAST
Comments
17 comments posted.
Re: Andria Buchanan | The Great Thing About Fairytales And A List Of My Top 5 Favorite Retellings
Wow, Congrats on your new book: EVERLAST. Also, Congrats on your new series: CHRONICLES OF NERISSETTE. I have always enjoyed reading about fairy tales and your book Everlast sounds so fascinating. I would love to win and read your book this Fall. Yes, I do agree that in the end the good things in life like love, friendship, and loyalty can defeat evil things we face in our lives. Thank You for the great contest. Cecilia CECE from Kansas the True Wizard of OZ!!! (Cecilia Dunbar Hernandez 12:00pm September 14, 2013)
I grew up loving to read fairytales but never really considered why I so enjoyed them. Your book sounds intriguing with the setting in a book of fairytales and the modern school kid characters who suddenly find themselves there. (G. Bisbjerg 2:51pm September 14, 2013)
That's the thing with fairy tales. It only show one side of the story. Like Snow White rewritten by Neil Gaiman, I will never see Snow White like I do when I was a kid. Wicked and the Stepsister by Maguire, both are another side of the stories. Ever After with Drew Berrymore as Cinderella is another side of the story from all of the characters' point of view.
They are the kind of stories, I would go back to. (Kai Wong 2:52pm September 14, 2013)
I would have loved to experienced Nerissette. Sounds captivating and special. Your book is unique and wonderful. (Sharon Berger 4:35pm September 14, 2013)
I've read all of Gregory Maguire's books, so I'm familiar with his sense of humor. Wicked was the book that got me started. I'm really looking forward to reading your book, to see your take on these stories, since I've always loved Fairy Tales, regardless of their form. This should be quite the adventure, and I should have quite an interesting start to my Fall reading. Congratulations on your book!! (Peggy Roberson 4:50pm September 14, 2013)
What a gorgeous book cover! I have always loved fairy tales. There are so many spin-off stories and movies from many of them, which gives us a whole new unique story from the original. Yours sounds different and I would really enjoy reading it very much. (Linda Luinstra 4:57pm September 14, 2013)
Congrats on the release! I have always been a fan of fairy tales, and I love when I find a re-telling of the classics! (Becca Luman 6:27pm September 14, 2013)
I really enjoy reading books like this. Your book sounds wonderful! (Kathy Morrison 2:06am September 15, 2013)
I love fairytales today and even as a child they are always happily ever after which is always the best (Denise Smith 9:36am September 15, 2013)
I love the magic of fairy tales. This sounds like a very good book and I look forward to reading it. Also, I love the cover art. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy. (Ann Martinisi 11:02am September 15, 2013)
I loved Wicked. It really made me think and I loved how the author didn't just tell you everything. There were parts I still had questions about after reading the book. Looking forward to reading your take on fairy tales in the new book. (Pam Howell 12:34pm September 15, 2013)
This sounds like a great read. Carol Conerly 9/15/13 (Carol Conerly 4:53pm September 15, 2013)
A few new books to check out-cool. I like the concept of your book. (Laura Gullickson 9:11pm September 15, 2013)
I love Fairy Tales and this sounds like an interesting adaptation. (Marcy Shuler 5:25pm September 16, 2013)
A great post thank you. Fairy Tales can be very dark, but I do love them still. (Mary Preston 8:48pm September 16, 2013)
This sounds like an amazing story... Congrats !!! (Gina Keitz 3:25pm September 19, 2013)
Congrats for your book. Honestly, maybe i'm too old to read fairytales but i just love it. Nice to read and told it to my students, they are still 4 till 6 years old. They always looked so exited to hear me read it. And that was one of my spirit to start my day and finishing my works well. (Rina Darmayanti 5:43pm September 25, 2013)
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